In a month and a half, new USC men’s basketball coach Eric Musselman has completely rebuilt the Trojans’ roster.
Ultimately, with just one player or recruit returning following the departure of former coach Andy Enfield, Musselman added 10 transfers and commitments from two high school prospects to bring the roster to its capacity of 13 scholarship players.
The latest of these additions came on Monday when San Diego guard Kevin Patton Jr. announced his commitment to USC.
Patton, a 6-foot-1 guard from Temecula, made the All-WCC Freshman Team last season in his first year of college basketball, averaging 9.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. He started 16 of the 30 games he played for San Diego and tied for the team lead with 42 steals, while also tied for first in the conference with 1.3 blocks per game. He scored in double figures 14 times, including a season-high 19 points against Santa Clara.
Most of Musselman’s roster additions have been established veterans with limited eligibility remaining — largely band-aids for next season. But Patton could also be part of the Trojans’ long-term future with three seasons of eligibility remaining.
Overall, here are the new pieces joining the Trojans for the 2024-25 season besides forward Harrison Hornery: forward Josh Cohen (UMass), 6-3 Bryce Pope (San Diego), 6-3 1 guard Clark Slajchert (Penn), 6-7 forward Saint Thomas (Northern Colorado), 6-6 forward Matt Knowling (Yale), 6-7 guard Chibuzo Agbo (Boise State), 6-8 forward Rashaun Agee (Bowling Green), forward 6-7 Williams II (Michigan), 6-7 point guard Desmond Claude (Xavier) and 6-8 Patton (San Diego), along with commitments from 6-5 guard and top-40 national prospects Isaiah Elohim and Jalen Shelley, 6-8 four-star forward (ranked 62nd nationally).
Read more about USC’s roster rebuild here.
